Thought this could be an interesting discussion. Hope you folks don't mind a newbie starting up a topic . . . .

What are some of your favorite dark/disturbing flicks that might not necessarily be classified as HORROR by most discerning movie fans, but you think otherwise (or think they come damn close)?

Here are a few of mine:

SE7EN: I guess it's a thriller more-so than a horror movie, perhaps even a dark police procedural, but this one easily ranks among my Top Ten Favorite Horror Films of All Time. Kevin Spacey has never been better, IMO . . . for that matter, neither has Brad Pitt (I've heard a lot of people make fun of his whiny "What's in the baaahhhhx?" line, but I thought it felt *real*, and I would've probably sounded the same way if I was in his character's shoes).

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM: Not a horror movie? I beg to differ. It's one of the scariest, most nerve-wracking things I've ever seen. Except, in this one, the monster isn't a vampire, werewolf, or zombie . . . it's *addiction*.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Too soon? Perhaps. We shall see if this one truly stands the test of time. But the wife's calling me to dinner, so I gotta cut this short. THE DARK KNIGHT just popped into my head for one reason and one reason only . . . yep, you guessed it: Heath Ledger's phenomenal portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime. 'Nuff said.

Agreed, Kurt . . . I've said on more than one occasion, when talking about my love for REQUIEM, that I believe Ellen Burstyn's portrayal of "Sarah Goldfarb" might just be my single favorite female acting performance *ever*. No kidding.I can't believe Julia Roberts won the Oscar that year, over Burstyn. There is no justice in the world.

Also . . . PAN'S LABYRINTH -- good call! One of my favorites from the past few years, definitely.

If you still have a VCR you can nab REFLECTING SKIN on vhs for fairly cheap...it is so worth it...Sort of like WALTONS era TWIN PEAKS weirdness with a slight Mormon by way of WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE bent...

Return to Oz. For some reason the some of the imagery in that movie hits me almost atavistic-ly, making me cringe despite knowing it shouldn't. I mean, there's nothing scary about a Wheeler in the slightest, but they give me the shudders like a pantsfull of minnows.

Possibly Sin City? Cannibalism, ultra-violence, protagonists only succeeding by self destruction. Also one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the source materials. (I found the graphic novels to be too difficult to follow, and too abstract for submersion.)

On the reverse site, Blood & Donuts is a horror movie that should not be considered horror, per se, but it's a favorite. I'm also the only person I've ever met that's watched it and actually liked it.

I like Mirrormask. I was also terrified of Unico when I was a kid. Welcome to anime, Mercedes. Which of course brings up one of my favorite movies of all time, Vampire Hunter D. Loved the books. Vermillion vermillion vermillion.